Monday, May 6, 2013

It seems like just yesterday that I was reviewing the Canon Rebel T4i because it was only about 9 months ago when I published that review! You can read what’s new in the press release, but basically you get an improved hybrid auto focus system and a scene mode which mimics the point and shoots like the s110. I didn’t find the new AF system to be exceptionally different or better than its predecessor and the scene mode is a gimmick feature, so I’m not seeing anything that T4i users should be concerned about. I did notice the problem that I had with 580EX II flashes seems to be resolved, but that only matters if you were using one of the old flashes. Both the T4i and T5i both work great with the 600EX-RT external flash.

This model still features the articulating touch screen display of its predecessor which I like, and it it still has that “made by Mattel” plastic feel. When paired with an STM lens, like the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens I tested, its super light weight and super quiet when beeps are disabled.

Real World Sample Images

These are taken from in-camera JPEG’s with zero modifications taken during everyday life events. Nearly all were taken in Aperture Priority (Av) mode unless otherwise noted, and all were handheld. The goal of these samples is to show you exactly what you’d expect to get if you were taking your own real world shots.

Visit http://photos.ronmartblog.com/canon/t5i for a full gallery and click the images to see the full-size originals. All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may view them, but you may not store, edit, print, distribute or otherwise reuse any images without written consent.

f/11 @ 38 mm, 1/50, ISO 800, No FlashI was very impressed with this shot from the all-plastic kit lens

T5i, f/11 @ 52 mm, 1/100, ISO 3200, No FlashWhile not as sharp as 24-70mm f/2.8L, it’s good enough and will look great with Color Efex edits

f/5.6 @ 45 mm, 1/80, ISO 400, No Flash, Landscape PS, Shade WBI was very disappointed with the in-camera noise reduction that destroys detailCompare this with a similar shot taken with a Fujifilm X20 – here

f/5.6 @ 32 mm, 1/160, ISO 2000, No FlashThe AF will keep up with your toddler, but you’ve got to pay attention to your settingsThis was done in Manual (M) mode with Auto ISO so I could force 1/160 sec shutter speedto avoid motion blur – a faster shutter speed would have been helpful, but the f/5.6 kit lens kept my ISO’s up way high on this sunny day hike

f/3.5 @ 18 mm, 1/40, ISO 800, No Flash, Shade WB, Landscape PSThis is what 18mm looks like, now pay attention to the log at the end of the stream

f/5.6 @ 55 mm, 1/80, ISO 4000, No Flash, Shade WB, Landscape PSThis is how far 55m will get you, so you’re better off with the 18-135mm lens I tested with the T4i

f/5.6 @ 35 mm, 1/640, ISO 100, No FlashIn “Sports” mode with great light, I was able to catch some bird shots,but the AF burst performance is terrible

f/8 @ 24 mm, 1/250, ISO 100, No FlashI was very satisfied with the in-camera color

f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/500, ISO 100, No Flash, 24-70mm f/2.8L II lensA better lens didn’t help as much as I would have hoped

f/8 @ 155 mm, 1/250, ISO 800, No Flash, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lensWith my favorite lens the results were good, but not as great as I expected

Conclusion

I’ve shown the best of the best shots here, but if you visit the gallery you’ll see that not all are as solid as these. That said, I was very impressed with the kit lens, and very disappointed with the in-camera noise reduction. As a result, my advice is to turn noise reduction OFF and use Noiseware or Dfine instead. Your images will look much better in the end – especially if you add a little sharpening with Sharpener Pro.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this. B&H loaned me the camera used for this review.

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